"Angst" Cello

This cello was painted for my local school district's orchestra program fundraiser. I have seen many instruments and other items painted for fundraisers and auctions and I definitely didn't want to paint my item in their style. I wanted my cello to be true to my paintings and my style. I didn't want what I term "decorative art".

When I heard the instruments for this year's auction would be cellos I was excited. Most people think of symphony orchestras or string quartets when thinking of cellos. I thought of one of my favorite musical groups, Apocalyptica. This group is a cello quartet from Finland most well known for re-interpreting the music of Metallica. They have a very current, grunge or heavy metal feel to their music.

Since I paint portraits, I chose to paint a black and white portrait of a male with the smudged eyes and small beard seen on many grunge artists. I chose black and white intentionally for impact and contrast. The back of the cello was also painted with a black, white, gray blend. On the back, I added a poem I wrote in college painted in a fire red color. The poem had the same tone as the mood of the piece. I searched the web for an appropriate font for the poem. Once found, I typed the poem in WORD with the font and then drew and painted the poem from the resulting printout. I added metal chain through the peg holes at the top of the arm to add to the character of the piece. I then painted the top of the arm with silver paint and edged the front and the back with silver paint to pull the whole piece together. The sides are solid black. Finally, I sealed the entire piece with acrylic gloss medium to add pop to the contrast and to enhance the colors.

I am happy to say the cello went for the highest bid of any of the cellos in the auction. The winner took home the cello for a steal... $205! The cello is now on display in the orchestra room of the local middle school. The instructor told me he placed it there to inspire the students and to encourage them to think outside the box as I had with my design.

I hope you enjoy the images! Dan